3 Perks that come with Outsourcing a Grant Writer

January 25th, 2017

“Just get a grant,” a Board Member says enthusiastically.

We’ve all heard these 4 little words and we silently think to ourselves, “If it was only that easy…”

If it was only that easy… then there would be an unending funding stream that allowed you to reach all your outcomes, hire all the staff you need for programming, administration and reporting, and there would be no “need” in your community because everything would be planned and executed with the utmost efficiency.

But… It’s not that easy.

Because along with trying to write a grant for a need within your community, you are already wearing too many hats, working the maximum number of hours and it’s creeping into your personal life.
However, let’s just assume that you have the time, why should you still outsource a Grant Writer?

#1 They have already failed and succeeded

Pursuing grants is a marathon, not a sprint. Most often it takes more than one attempt to get awarded a grant. Feedback received from a grant denial is extremely valuable and imperative to your success of getting a grant awarded with a specific funder or any funder for that matter. There is often information provided in your reviewer notes that was not included in the request for proposal and you wouldn’t be privy to that information unless you had been denied the grant. Grant Writing consultants have already gone through this process and are one step ahead of the competition because they have been awarded several grants. They have done the learning for you!

#2 You can focus on a program design you will enjoy implementing

Grant writing requires a lot of attention to detail. An applicant must make sure that all forms, Memoranda of Understanding, Letters of Support, etc. are all executed, signed and collected for submission within the grant. This task is on top of developing and dictating all the required narrative elements. When you hire a Grant Writer you don’t have to focus as much on the nuances of technicalities and you can focus on the things that matter, including; How is this going to help your community? Are you targeting everyone that the program can sustain? Can you execute these tasks effectively? This allows you to provide the Grant Writer with the important information that is going to make your proposal the most competitive and you don’t have to worry about the small technical details.

#3 You can go after more than one grant at a time

It’s common that multiple funding opportunities are released at the same time, making it impossible for a person to write and submit them all. Hiring a Grant Writer addresses this problem by not just having one, but multiple writers working on multiple projects at the same time. You don’t ever have to worry about any one person being stretched too thin because they are only working on the projects to which they have been assigned. Every person is different and has different levels of comfort when it comes to working on multiple projects. Depending on a person’s responsibilities, they may be able to only go after one at a time, while another may be able to go for two or more at a time. A professional Grant Writer knows their limits and will only sign themselves up for the number of grants they are capable of completing at a competitive level. You don’t ever want to pass up a suitable grant opportunity, because there is no guarantee they will exist in the next funding year.

For the past two decades Resource Associates has worked with 501(c)(3) agencies, schools, tribes, governmental agencies, and businesses to win hundreds of millions of dollars in grant funding for their organizations. Grant writing and capacity building are our passion. Our staff includes some of the most successful grant writers in the world. When you work with Resource Associates, you benefit from the knowledge and expertise of former executive directors, educators, fire/police and other servicemen and women, scientists, and medical specialists — each with decades of experience and proven track records of winning federal, state and foundation grants. Contact us if you’d like to speak about how our experienced team can help your organization fulfill its mission. Consultations are always free.